The Holy Fire, which descends every year on the eve of the Orthodox feast of Pascha in Jerusalem, will be delivered to the various corners of the Earth, with the support of the Russian St. Andrew the First-Called Foundation, including, for the first time this year, to the United States of America. “It is planned to deliver this sacred blessing for the first time to the US, and we’ve already received permission to transport the lampadas with the Holy Fire on board a plane,” the foundation’s press service reported to Interfax-Religion today. The Holy Fire is being brought to the US by the initiative of parishioners of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.

A delegation of the Romanian Patriarchate led by Metropolitan Nifon of Târgoviște will visit North America from April 28 to May 7 for the installation of two Romanian hierarchs, reports the press service of the Romanian Orthodox Church. On October 28, 2016, the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church established two new diocesan structures: the Diocese of Canada, with His Grace Ioan Casian at the head, and the Metropolis of the Americas, with His Eminence Archbishop Nicolae (Condrea) at the head.

Persistently struggling with our sins, man changes his evil disposition to good with the help of God’s grace. Great Lent facilitates this spiritual activity. The primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church gives practical recommendations for how to defeat the sinful inclinations of the soul.

Preparing for Confession

-Your Beatitude, the time of Great Lent is a time of repentance and spiritual purification. What is most important for Christians in this spiritual activity?

-Our Lord Jesus Christ came to earth to call us to repentance (Mt. 4:17), to a change of life, and to leading it in accordance with the Commandments of God. A Christian brings repentance for sins committed to the Sacrament of Confession, to the presence of the priest, who has the authority from God to bind and loose a man’s sins (cf. Mt. 18:18).

On Saturday, 26th March/8th April 2017, Lazarus Saturday was celebrated by the Patriarchate at the south-east top of the Mount of Olives, in memory of the resurrection of Christ’s friend Lazarus, who was dead for four days. The Lord resurrected Lazarus who was buried for four days, and escorted him from his tomb to his home town Bethany, sympathizing to the point of tears with our death, due to our fall, and thus confirming the common Resurrection of all people in His glorious second coming.

On Friday, 25th March/7th April 2017, the feast of the Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos was celebrated in Nazareth.

At this feast, the Church commemorates that fact that in the last days, God fulfilled the long foretold mystery of the incarnation of His Only Begotten Son and Logos. To this cause, He sent Archangel Gabriel to a pure virgin in Nazareth and announced to her that by the power of the Holy Spirit, she was to conceive and bear in flesh the Saviour of the world.